Islamabad

Trail-5 Islamabad

Trail-5 is located on a quiet corner of Islamabad just beyond the last police check post on Margalla Road, going towards the parliament. It is usually quite deserted as most of the Islooites like going to Trail-3, which has been there for as long as I can remember. But if you go there on a Sunday evening you will find a few people enjoying themselves in the stream that flows through it or having a lunch at the campsite. If you continue on the trail for about 2 km you will reach the point where you can either take a track back to Trail-3 or continue on wards towards Pir Sohawa. There are plenty of fresh water sources as you hike towards Pir Sohawa. The total hike time from the parking lot is about 2 hours and requires you to be in decent shape.

Entrance to Trail-5 from parking lot

Signs for camping site and pine sit out

Some shade at the camping site

Deep into Trail-5

June 22, 2015 1

Metro Launch in Islamabad

Although I am not a big fan of Metro Bus Project Islamabad I still am happy that some progress has been done in the area of transportation. My major concern regarding this project is its cost. Otherwise transportation is a very important area and people who commute daily between Islamabad and Rawalpindi would definitely benefit from it.

Having reached office early in the morning I decided to take a walk to the Parade Ground Metro Station. The staff of the Metro Station looked quite impressive in their new attire. The station also looked quite speckless. But to my amazement there was a big sign notifying everybody that pictures could not be taken inside the station. Anyway after playing a bit of hide and seek with the attendants and grabbing as many pictures as I could I left the Metro Station.

PS: Buses were arriving quite regularly and there were quite a few passengers in each. The ticket for a Metro ride is Rs.20 which is quite reasonable for anybody traveling from Rawalpindi to Islamabad.

On the Way to the Bus

Bus Arriving at the Station

Entry to Metro Station

Inside Metro Station

View from Outside

June 5, 2015 0

This is the story of a trek by Osama and Yasir from Islamabad to Khanpur Lake via Kot Jandaan.

We started from E-9 Islamabad around 9:00 am and reached Jandaan around 10:15 am. This was a gain of around 400 m (the altitude of Islamabad is around 600 m and Jandaan is around 1000 m). After a 15 min stop we started moving further through the valley gradually going down from a peak at 1000 m. There were several possible paths along the way but we stuck to the wide jeep track that goes all the way up to Khanpur.

At around 1:30 pm, after covering a distance of 20 to 22 km, we reached the main road leading up to Tanawara. We got a ride from here and explored the areas around the lake. After heaving a lunch and some tea at Tanawara we headed back to Islamabad. We got a wagon up to Taxila and from there a taxi to E-11 Islamabad. The taxi guy charged us a very reasonable amount of Rs. 600.

Some Tips

The trek from Islamabad to Jandaan is a bit difficult as this is quite a steep hike and you gain about 400 m in about an hour. But once you have reached Jandaan its quite easy from there as you go slowly down to the level of Khanpur lake. You are advised to carry some snacks and plenty of water as there are no shops along the way after Jandaan. You are also advised to take 3-4 stops so that you do not burn out half way. In case somebody needs help there is some local transport in the area which can be contacted. Wireless signals are not available most of the route so you must share your plans with your family before venturing out.